A Week of Firsts – My First Rodeo and Enduro Race Experience

The old saying of "this isn't my first rodeo" may be true in certain situations, unless it actually is a first experience at a rodeo. The same could be said about the races. Throughout the past week, I have attended two separate events that I have never been to before.

Rodeo

I've lived in Sioux Falls for the majority of my life, and I can honestly say prior to last Saturday night that I never attended a rodeo event. The Sioux Empire Fair grandstand was full of spectators for the event, and it was more entertaining than I thought it would ever be. Team roping, barrel racing, and bull riding were a few of the events to highlight the rodeo. Overall, the steer wrestling event seemed to garner the most excitement out of the fans. The clowns provided plenty of entertainment between the events, and in total the hour and a half flew by.

Jerry Palleschi/KIKN 100.5

Enduro Races

I was quickly corrected by JD Collins over what event I actually was at following a tweet that I sent out. It wasn't just a "mud race," it was an enduro race.

For those that have not attended before, an enduro race is a time limit event in which whoever completes the most amount of laps wins the contest. Typically the event reaches well over 100 total laps.

The Turner County Fair grandstand was about 95% full for the event. The track crew gave the racers about a half hour on a dirt road before stopping the event to make it muddy. Once the mud was kicked in, it appeared as if the enduro race became a demolition derby.

Racers were smashing into each other, fluids were leaking onto the track (I guess that was just water though...nothing extreme, but I believed it was), tires came flying off cars, and cars were backing their way back into traffic after being spun out. The pit lanes were full of crews trying to bang out dents and get the cars back on the track to complete as many laps as possible. In other words, it was just a riot of a time.

Fans were able to go out on the track following the race to see their friends who were participating in the event. Drivers from all over the area built cars and raced in the event.

The enduro race was a great event that I would attend again. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in racing, or looking for a night of fun entertainment.

Jerry Palleschi/KIKN 100.5

Both events have opened my eyes to an entire new world. If you have the opportunity, take the chance and see both.